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SUSE & Rancher Community
SUSE & Rancher Community

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What is an Open Source Community -- with Thierry Carrez

Listen to The OCTOpod: Conversations with SUSE's office of the CTO.

Season One is all about open source: how to get involved in a community, diversity and inclusion in open source, how to start an open source company and more!

Octopod Episode 1: What is an Open Source Community?

In Episode 1 of the OCTOpod, Alan Clark talks with Thierry Carrez about open source communities: what they are, how they work and how you can get involved.

Trying to define what an open source community is might sound like a simple task, but it is a layered, nuanced collective with many moving parts. Thierry has been in the open source community for years and is currently the VP of engineering at the Open Infrastructure Foundation. In this episode, Thierry sheds light on some of the key traits that characterize open source communities. We hear about the importance of governance, principles, scope and documentation and find out how everyone, even those who do not code, can contribute. As Thierry notes, it is not about your technical ability, but rather about adding value where you can and being an engaged member of a community. Building a sustainable community requires effort, but that transparency and collaboration make it a worthwhile endeavor.

"It’s really not about code, it’s really not about being a technical rock star. It is really more about being useful to others.”

Listen to the OCTOpod here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform! And please share it with your friends! Learn more at community.suse.com.

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